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SolarWorld Solar Panels Power Net-Zero Homes in Hawaiian Home Land's Pilot Community Project

Array of high-performance solar panels come standard on all 19 homes in Kaupuni

Hillsboro, Ore., April 21, 2011 -- SolarWorld’s high- performance solar panels are powering an advance in sustainable home development in the heart of Hawaii: They are generating electric power atop 19 homes and a community center for low-income residents of indigenous backgrounds in a nationally trailblazing pilot community development realized by the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands in Kaupuni Village on Oahu’s western edge. The state of Hawaii hopes to spread the project concept, considered the nation’s first LEED Platinum single-family subdivision, in developing 1,000 home statewide.

SolarWorld, the largest and most experienced U.S. manufacturer of solar technology, has provided its solar technology to the Hawaii market for 30 years, beginning with a state-federal demonstration project of grid-connected residential systems in 1980. In that project, a total of 10 kilowatts of panels were installed atop homes in three settings: urban (Honolulu), suburban (Pearl City, Oahu) and rural (Molokai). Since then, SolarWorld’s solar panels have demonstrated extraordinary reliability in the tropical climes of the Pacific island state. Moreover, the company offers an industry-leading 25-year linear performance guarantee.

The three- and four-bedroom homes in the Kaupuni project, commissioned today in an event attended by Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie, were designed to provide housing without power costs. SolarWorld panels generate electricity; other solar gear heats water. The development includes many other eco-elements, including farming options. Eligible homeowners buy the homes at below-market rates ranging from $260,000 to $320,000, because they pay virtually no costs for leasing land set aside for Hawaiians of indigenous descent. Eligible homeowners may earn no more than 80 percent of Honolulu’s median household income.

“The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands is excited that homesteaders who are moving into Kaupuni Village will reap the benefits of a neighborhood designed with the Native Hawaiian culture, the environment and sustainability at its heart,” Hawaiian Homes Commission Chairman Alapaki Nahale-a said. “By furnishing this project with high-quality solar panels and valuable expertise, partners like SolarWorld have made this net-zero community truly an environmental success story.”

A typical home comes with 26 245-watt SolarWorld Sunmodules, for a total system size of 6.37 kilowatts. Honolulu-based Bonterra Solar undertook the solar-electric installations throughout the project, partnering with Inter-Island Solar Supply, a SolarWorld distributor since the early 1980s.

“We at SolarWorld are grateful to the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands for demonstrating for the rest of the country that it makes good sense to harness the sun’s ample energy to serve the combined sustainability goals of providing housing for low-income residents and switching to a nature-friendly energy source,” said Kevin Kilkelly, President of SolarWorld Americas. “It’s only fitting that a state known for its abundant sun and natural beauty would demonstrate its solar-energy ingenuity for the other 49 states.”

For images and a blog of the dedication to be posted later today, go to SolarWorld’s blog.

SolarWorld Real Value

SolarWorld manufactures and sells solar power solutions and in doing so contributes to a cleaner energy supply worldwide. As the largest solar producer in the United States and Europe, SolarWorld employs about 3,200 people and carries out production in Hillsboro, Ore., and Freiberg and Arnstadt, Germany. From the raw material silicon to solar wafers, cells and panels, SolarWorld manages all stages of production ‒ including its own research and development. The company maintains high social standards at all locations across the globe and is committed to resource- and energy-efficient production. Headquartered in Bonn, Germany, SolarWorld was founded in 1998 and has been publicly traded on the stock market since 1999. For more information, visit www.solarworld-usa.com.